Solitude - Alone With God

Day two hundred forty

This morning I am grateful for music.  I love the fact that when I wake up and music is playing it can really help me start my day off on the right foot. I am very blessed to have musicians in my home that share my love of music.  We are definitely a music-loving family!  In my prayer this morning I thanked the Lord for the gift of music in my life, for the people that are willing to share their talents in an uplifting way, and for the power that music has to set the tone for the day.  What a great gift He has given us!

1 Samuel 16
In chapter 16 the story of David begins.  Samuel is told that it is time to anoint a new king and the Lord leads him to Jesse and his sons.  We read of the process that Samuel goes through to find the one that the Lord had chosen and we are taught in verse 7 the principle that although man looks on the outward appearance the Lord looks on the heart. 

There is the importance of the heart again.  Saul is loosing his kingdom because his heart is not in the right place, and here we find David chosen as the new king because the Lord knows his heart.  What made David's heart turn to the Lord?

I spent some time thinking about this.  There are a couple of things we learn about David in verse 11 that might haves something to do with David's heart being prepared:  He is the youngest of the brothers and he takes care of the sheep. 

Birth Order
Could being the youngest have anything to do with it?  In today's society we often think of the youngest child as the spoiled brat of the family. They seem to get everything they want, they are less disciplined, and they are often labelled selfish.

David grew up in a society where the emphasis is on the firstborn.  As the youngest he may have been more humble, realizing that the chances of him receiving a large inheritance was probably not in the cards.  His perspective would be different than that of his brothers, because his station in life was at the bottom of the list. He would not be handed riches, his would be a life of work. It is hard to be puffed up when you are at the bottom. 

What does this mean to us?  Our birth order might not be the same as David's, but regardless of being the oldest or the youngest, we can recognize and work on having a humble heart.

Tending the Sheep
I picture David out on the hills of Judea, with a flock of sheep for his companions having lots of quiet time.  Imagine the starry sky as his cathedral; and the vast expanse of nature as his classroom; a lot of thinking could be done in this environment.  It would be the perfect setting for David to learn the valuable lesson of learning how to be alone with God. 

Away from the distractions and noise of others, David would learn how to hear the voice of the Lord, how to commune with Him, how to worship Him, and how to be at peace with himself. There is no value that can be placed on those kinds of lessons.  They are priceless!

Many in our day have no idea what its like to be alone with God.  It seems they have trouble being alone.  They cannot survive without noise, without activity and without the company of others. There is usually a reason for this, they probably have some issues with their inner life that need to be dealt with. 

Learning to be alone with God is important, even Jesus realized this.   Jesus sought time to be alone with His Father. 

•  Mark 1:35, “And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.”
•  Luke 4:42, “And when it was day, he departed and went into a desert place: and the people sought him, and came unto him, and stayed him, that he should not depart from them.”
•  Luke 6:12, “And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.”
•  John 6:15, “When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take him by force, to make him a king, he departed again into a mountain himself alone.”

If the Son of God saw the value and needed the benefit of being alone with the Father, how much more do we need that kind of intimacy with the Father?  We should not fear the times of solitude. It is in the times of solitude that we learn to hear His voice and walk with Him.  It is in the times of solitude that God prepares us for greater things! 

If I want to turn my heart to the Lord I need to take the time to be alone with God, away from the hustle and bustle of life.  I need to find a place where I can commune with God; a place where I can hear His voice without all the distractions of life clamoring for my attention.  I need to allow God to use the tool of solitude to shape my heart!  

I have a goal, now I need a plan. 

• Each day I want to dedicate at least 15-30 minutes to being alone with God.  During this time I will worship God, talk about my sins, and ask Him to teach me.
• I will read and ponder the scriptures everyday in a quiet environment.
• As I read I will ask myself, "What do these verses say?" and "What does this mean to me?"
• I will take the time to write down what I have learned.
• I will meditate on what I've learned throughout the day.

I am looking forward to some solitude and building a stronger relationship with the Lord.  I think my heart is in the right place, now it's about keeping it there!